Sunday, March 31, 2013

Happy Easter!

Easter promised to be very busy this year, and boy, it did not disappoint! Charley had his first school Easter Egg Hunt, and Meemaw, Mimi, and I were there to witness it. I really enjoyed sneaking up on Charley and watching him at school. He was such a big boy - the first one in line to go outside and hunt eggs (that's my boy!), and he even carried his bucket without tossing it aside! I wish I could have captured this on camera but doing so would have put me at risk of being seen (and let's face it - an ensuing tantrum). So, here's a picture of him hunting before discovering he had onlookers:



But then, he heard our voices and was thrilled to see his visitors. First, Mimi...
"Hi, Ma!" (He doesn't say Mimi yet.)
And then me...
My sweet boy!
Charley led me around the play yard and showed me everything he likes to play with, like:
the playhouse! He sequestered Mimi and me in there, and since Meemaw was looking on from the sidewalk, she decided to get in on the action by being the "creeper photobomber." 
"Ooooo!" (We just love it when he says that!)
He opened an egg and discovered a toy! Yay to the parents for not giving the kids junk!
On Easter Sunday, we all managed to make it to the early service at Mimi and Grandpa's church. But by the time we got home, it was time for lunch and naps. Believe it or not, we managed to get through the day without a formal Easter picture in our outfits that I spent hours planning and shopping for. Oh well...Anyway, after naps it was time to see all the loot in store...
Between 2 great-grandmas, 2 sets of grandparents, and Mommy and Daddy, Charley made quite a haul!
The aftermath.
Last but not least, it was time to go outside and hunt eggs. We were wondering how Charley would do this year, since one of his favorite things is to load and unload all kinds of items. The hunt was, well, a bust. He was more interested in running around than anything, so very little prodding was effective. He figured out that he could take our hands and place them on the eggs so that we would do the hard work for him. This means I only got one really good shot of him doing what he was *supposed* to do:
Naturally, I cut Mike's head off in the process. Oh well, there's always next year...
We had a wonderful Easter celebration that included skyping with Nina and Pawpaw, and then Auntie (Alyssa) and Uncle Paul. Thank you to everyone for the gifts for Charley! He loved them all, and I'm thankful to be able to rotate out some of his older toys! We hope you all had a wonderful Easter filled with loved ones and laughter. God's blessings!

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

First quarter recap

Things have been crazy on the Fulton Farm these last couple of months. It really is a shame I haven't stopped to document more, because now I don't remember everything. Charley is growing leaps and bounds, and is learning new things daily. Here are a few of his favorite things of late:


  • For about 4 months now, Charley has been calling Mike, well, "Mike." Actually, it sounds like "Mack." :) He's always called me Mom. So, he loves to say things like, "Hi Dad/Mack" and, "ummm, okay" and various other 2-3 word phrases.
  • He's an expert at operating all things electronic: iPads/iPods, tv's, kindles, remotes, cell phones, etc. We've had to limit his exposure to twice a day to such items. Sigh...
  • He can now open all doors and even lock/unlock them. He's managed to figure out the current baby-proofing system, so we're scrambling to come up with plan C. That's right, we have a raccoon.
  • He's able to feed himself, brush his teeth, remove his clothes and shoes, and do small chores like putting away laundry and picking up toys. This lasts about 30 seconds. But it's a start! His favorite is to slam dunk his dirty laundry into the hamper! Moms - how long does this last?
  • Charley loves school and does not cry when we drop him off. Sometimes he's not ready to leave!

Here's a couple of pics I captured with my cell before Charley destroyed it:

Charley's first day at his new school - Kid's Place @ Grace Presbyterian

Wearing Mommy's & Daddy's shoes are fun! Boots, flip flops, Sperrys...oh my!

This comes in handy!


Happy Valentine's Day!

Hope everyone has a safe, blessed Easter!